We surveyed 1325 law professors, 338 student editors, 215 attorneys, and
156 judges about their beliefs about U.S. law reviews and the need for
reforms. Law reviews play a critical role in the law and legal education
in the U.S. They are also one of the best means for social scientists
to convey research about the law to legal professionals. Law professors
were generally the most critical of law reviews and student editors were
usually the least critical. Respondents identified several problems
with law reviews. They believed that law review articles are too long.
Most respondents also believed that U.S. law reviews have a negative
effect on law professors’ careers and that they are not meeting the
needs of attorneys and judges. The vast majority of respondents
indicated that reforms are needed and that U.S. law reviews should
implement blind, peer reviews. We also discuss the significance of our
findings for the U.S. legal system and for social scientists who study
the law.